University of Massachusets Athletics
Field Hockey Closes Regular Season Saturday At Rhode Island
October 26, 2007 | Field Hockey
Oct. 26, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass Field Hockey (10-8, 5-1 A-10) wraps up the regular season on Saturday when it travels to Rhode Island to take on the Rams (7-8, 1-5) in a Atlantic 10 match-up at noon. It is a crucial final day of conference play as UMass and the three other teams that have clinched berths in the A-10 Tournament, Temple (5-1), Richmond (4-2), and Saint Joseph's (4-2), all jockey for seeding position. The tournament takes place on the Saint Joseph's campus in Philadelphia on November 2-3.
While the Minutewomen and the Rams square off in the Ocean State, Saint Joseph's hosts Temple at noon. On Sunday, Richmond plays Saint Louis at home in a noon game.
Series History:
This will be the 34th time the two teams have met in a series that dates back to 1980. The Minutewomen have dominated, posting a 30-3 record all-time versus the Rams. One of Rhode Island's three wins came in last season's game, with UMass falling 1-0 on a goal by Jill Powers. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Minutewomen, as they outshot URI, 27-5 and out-cornered them, 11-1, in the game. Goalkeeper MJ Britt made 14 saves to earn the shutout. UMass had won the previous nine meetings prior to last season. The last win, in 2005, came by way of a Mary Shea (Foxboro) goal late in the second half to give UMass a 2-1 victory.
UMass Report:
It has been a roller coaster of a week for Justine Sowry's club. On Sunday, UMass picked up its biggest win of the season, knocking off five-time defending A-10 champion Richmond, 1-0, on Senior Day at Garber Field. Nicole Phelan (North Andover, Mass.), one of the seniors honored before the game, scored on a first half penalty stroke. Fellow senior Becky Letourneau (Greenfield, Mass.) picked up her sixth shutout, and third straight, in goal. It was UMass' first win versus the Spiders since 2001.
On Wednesday the Minutewomen closed out their home slate with a non-conference game versus Dartmouth. The Big Green scored late in the first half, played tough defense and UMass was unable to convert on some late scoring opportunities, giving Dartmouth the 1-0 victory. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Minutewomen. It was also the first goal allowed by the defense at home since September 26's 2-1 win versus Brown.
Cher King (Christ Church, Barbados) has led the offense all season. The sophomore attacker's seven goals, 17 points, and 56 shots all are tops on the club. Junior Forward Lauren Gillespie (Casco, Maine) is second with four goals, three of which were game-winners. Freshmen Jaime Bourazeris (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and Katie Kelly (Dedham, Mass.), each with three goals, have taken on larger roles in the offense as of late.
This week a pair of Minutewomen picked up special honors for their efforts. Defender Erin O'Brien was named a Senior All-Star by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. The UMass captain is one of 38 players nationally picked to participate at the November 17 All-Star Game to be played in College Park, Maryland. Letourneau's efforts in goal were recognized as well, as she was named UMass/Dinn Bros. Co-Athlete of the Week along with men's soccer player Mark DeSantis. The senior goalkeeper, who posted two shutouts a week ago, was honored at the weekly UMass Sports Luncheon on Wednesday. Also recognized at the luncheon were junior Erin Parker (South Deerfield, Mass.) and senior Rachael Mervine (Conway, Mass.) for their academic excellence.
Rhode Island Report:
The Rams come into Saturday's match-up losers of four straight. They opened last weekend with a 4-0 loss at the hands of Richmond on Friday. Then on Sunday the Rams dropped a 3-0 game to Saint Louis on the road. They have been outscored 16-1 during the current losing skid. The last URI win came on October 7 versus West Chester, 2-0.
The Rams are coached by one of their own, 2001 graduate and former team captain Amanda Heryla. She is in her first year at the helm following assistant coaching stints at St. Francis and Lafayette.
The major offensive weapon for the Rams is still Powers. The sophomore forward, who scored the game-winner versus UMass last year, has seven goals, 16 points, and 43 shots. She accounts for almost half the URI scoring, as the team has totaled 17 goals on the year. Senior forward Jen Cetenich has chipped in with two goals and four assists.
Senior goalkeeper MJ Britt has been the most valuable player for Rhode Island. She has a record of 7-8 with a 1.80 goals against average and an impressive .806 save percentage. Her four shutouts are second in the conference to Letourneau's six.
For the season, opponents have outscored the Rams, 27-16, while outshooting them, 199-193. Rhode Island has drawn more penalty corners than their opposition, 94-79.
Follow the Action
Free live stats of Saturday's game will be available on Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com. Also be sure to check out UMassAthletics.com for all the latest news, photos, videos, and stats for UMass Field Hockey.